Potholes aplenty: State must look at transportation needs

When Gov. Tom Corbett was running for office, he rightfully talked about transportation being a critical component of Pennsylvania’s economic foundation and quality of life.

He said that if elected, he would work to correct what he termed funding inadequacies for our decaying infrastructure. He also talked about how mass transit was vital to the commonwealth’s economy and announced his support of freight movement and passenger rail corridor initiatives.

“Pennsylvania has a history of leadership in transportation. From the creation of the Conestoga wagon to our railroads, to the first superhighway in the nation, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Pennsylvania’s transportation heritage is strong,” Corbett said.
“We need to build upon this foundation to address Pennsylvania’s critical transportation issues and ensure the longevity of our infrastructure.”

That was then. By the time Gov. Corbett gave his budget address this week, the critical issue of our state’s aging transportation infrastructure no longer seemed to be a priority. In fact, it was not even mentioned. Not a word.

If there is one issue that binds all 67 counties, it is transportation. Roads throughout the state and an estimated 6,000 bridges are crumbling.

Pennsylvania has more distressed bridges than the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia and Maryland combined. The bad news goes on and on.

Just this week, part of a Monroe County bridge on Interstate 80 in the Poconos collapsed. Eastbound traffic on one of the main corridors through the state is now down to one lane. PennDOT said it will be that way until further notice.

As a state, we have not kept up with our transportation needs despite the continued efforts of the House Transportation Committee, which has been a model of bipartisan cooperation at the Capitol.

The committee has made proposal after proposal in order to ensure that people and goods can move easily and safely around the state and in our cities. Unfortunately, the Legislature has not listened.

The hard truth is that the state needs $3 billion just to maintain its highways, bridges and mass transit systems at current levels. That doesn’t even fund any new construction. Right now, there is no mechanism in place to pay for all our infrastructure needs.

Candidate Corbett was right. Transportation funding needs to be a priority. We need Gov. Corbett to do the same and provide the leadership and vision to make sure Pennsylvania has a safe and efficient infrastructure. It is a critical situation for our citizens and for the economic growth of our state.